Definite articles
Definite articles (“the”) go in front of a specific object or person.
| SINGOLARE | PLURALE | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| ♀ | la piazza l'acqua | le case | |
| ♂ | il cane l'oggetto lo spaghetto, zio | i bambini gli amici, studenti |
We use lo before words that start with s + consonant, x, y, z, gn, ps or pn.
Lo specchio, lo zaino, lo yogurt, lo psicologo.
The mirror, the backpack, the yogurt, the psychologist
We use gli before words that start with a vowel, s + consonant, x, y, z, gn, ps or pn.
Gli alberi, gli hotel, gli zii, gli spaghetti.
The trees, the hotels, the uncles, the spaghetti
La and lo are written with an apostrophe (l') when the following word starts with a vowel or an h (which is always silent at the start of a word).
L'ora, l’era.
The hour, the era.
L’hotel, l’inverno.
The hotel, the winter.
Note: gli is pronounced .
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